scholarly journals Policing, Crime and Mental Illness in England and Wales: Insights from the Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Frank Kitt ◽  
Colin Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Police Service ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Made In

Mental illness pervades most societies, but it is only recently that its impact and effects upon individuals has slowly been recognised in England and Wales. When people suffering from this illness become involved with various public agencies, the way they are dealt with appears inconsistent and on occasions ends in tragedy. One agency that is constantly in contact with people who suffer mental health illness is the police service. Some high profile cases have clearly illustrated misunderstandings and the fact that the police are not generally equipped to deal with such individuals. This article considers a brief history and theoretical backcloth to police understanding and framing of mental illness in England and Wales, and explores the National Liaison and Diversion Model as an alternative to traditional police understanding and response. The article suggests that only by understanding the historical context, and literature, surrounding mental illness, can improvements be made in the criminal justice system as a whole and within the police service in particular.

Commentary on Alexander (1993)

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-390
Author(s):  
SETH C. KALICHMAN
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sexually Violent

This commentary on Alexander's article concerning civil commitment of sex offenders concludes that the failure of the mental health sciences to define the psychosexual pathology of sexually violent adults has resulted in an inability to address these disturbances in the criminal justice system. This situation will likely contribute to the social threats posed by sexual offenders. It is suggested that researchers work to establish the mental illness parameters of sexual violence.

Admissions to a national forensic hospital 1997-2003

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Wright ◽  
Conor O'Neill ◽  
Harry G Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Forensic Hospital ◽  
Resource Needs

AbstractObjectives: We set out to review all admissions from the criminal justice system to the Central Mental Hospital from January 1997 to December 2003, with particular attention to patient diagnoses, offences, source of admission, length of stay, and patterns of discharge. This study was undertaken to assist with future service planning and determination of resource needs.Methods: The service maintains a combination of electronic and handwritten records of all admissions. Information was extracted concerning all admissions from January 1, 1997 to December 30, 2003. The data was analysed using a statistical package, SPSS 11.0 for Windows.Results: Nine hundred and eighty-six admissions of 780 individuals from the criminal justice system were recorded from January 1997 to December 2003. There has been an increase in the proportion of patients admitted suffering with severe mental illness. There has also been a significant shift in the pattern of discharges, with a higher proportion of patients leaving to return to their local hospital. The proportion of admissions returned to prison has fallen from 91.1 % in 1999 to 64.7% in 2003, while 3.3% of individuals admitted became new long-stay cases.Conclusions: A shift in the profile of patients admitted in recent years reflects changes within the National Forensic Mental Health Service. An increased provision of regular and structured psychiatric input to the prisons has facilitated the identification of prisoners with mental illness. The shift from prison liaison to diversion from the Criminal Justice System to mental health services is however in its early stages.

scholarly journals Court diversion for those with psychosis and its impact on re-offending rates: results from a longitudinal data-linkage study

BJPsych Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olayan Albalawi ◽  
Nabila Zohora Chowdhury ◽  
Handan Wand ◽  
Stephen Allnutt ◽  
David Greenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
Justice System ◽  
New South ◽  
Order Group ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Court Diversion ◽  
Treatment Order

BackgroundWith significant numbers of individuals in the criminal justice system having mental health problems, court-based diversion programmes and liaison services have been established to address this problem.AimsTo examine the effectiveness of the New South Wales (Australia) court diversion programme in reducing re-offending among those diagnosed with psychosis by comparing the treatment order group with a comparison group who received a punitive sanction.MethodThose with psychoses were identified from New South Wales Ministry of Health records between 2001 and 2012 and linked to offending records. Cox regression models were used to identify factors associated with re-offending.ResultsA total of 7743 individuals were identified as diagnosed with a psychotic disorder prior to their court finalisation date for their first principal offence. Overall, 26% of the cohort received a treatment order and 74% received a punitive sanction. The re-offending rate in the treatment order group was 12% lower than the punitive sanction group. ‘Acts intended to cause injury’ was the most common type of the first principal offence for the treatment order group compared with the punitive sanction group (48% v. 27%). Drug-related offences were more likely to be punished with a punitive sanction than a treatment order (12% v. 2%).ConclusionsAmong those with a serious mental illness (i.e. psychosis), receiving a treatment order by the court rather than a punitive sanction was associated with reduced risk for subsequent offending. We further examined actual mental health treatment received and found that receiving no treatment following the first offence was associated with an increased risk of re-offending and, so, highlighting the importance of treatment for those with serious mental illness in the criminal justice system.

scholarly journals Police retention and storage of evidence in England and Wales

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-136
Author(s):  
Carole McCartney ◽  
Louise Shorter
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Freedom Of Information ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
High Profile ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Cold Case ◽  
Court Of Appeal ◽  
Physical Materials

Central to the operation of the appellate system, is the ability of individuals who claim that their conviction is in error, to revisit and re-examine evidence gathered during the investigation, as well as that relied upon at their trial. High-profile miscarriages of justice have often only been remedied when there has been defence access to materials post conviction. There is also an imperative for forces to retain evidence in investigations in which no perpetrator has been detected or convicted, to facilitate cold case reviews. In order to give effect then to an appellate system and enable cold case reviews, evidence needs to be retained and properly stored. If materials are not retained and stored correctly, then re-investigations are rendered impossible. Retention is especially critical in respect of physical materials that could be subject to forensic examination. With the progress of science and technology, and the interpretation of results, it is essential that such physical (and now, often digital) materials are retained for future (re)evaluation. From analysis of responses to a Freedom of Information request to all police forces in England and Wales, and qualitative interviews with criminal justice stakeholders, this article examines the retention and storage of materials, and considers the operation and future of the Forensic Archive Ltd. It details a worrying picture of inconsistency, with confusion over what should be retained, and how. It concludes that justice demands that we accept that the proper retention and storage of materials is fundamental to the fair and effective operation of our criminal justice system, and ensures that the Court of Appeal can fulfil its remit in addressing wrongful convictions and forces can pursue justice in cold cases.

Serious Mental Illness, Criminal Justice, and the Death Penalty

2020 ◽  
pp. 159-171
Author(s):  
Anna Scheyett ◽  
Katherine J. Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Death Penalty ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Community Members

This chapter addresses the intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system. Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) are at higher risk of involvement with the criminal justice system and at greater risk of more severe sentencing. Mental Health America estimates that 20% of persons on death row have a serious mental illness. Someone who was actively mentally ill at the time of a crime, but who has received treatment and is now stable, will proceed to trial as death eligible. This chapter holds that, as the majority of mental health professionals, social workers have a responsibility for educating lawmakers, community members, and those in the criminal justice system, as well as other practitioners about the multiple levels of injustice and inequity surrounding individuals with SMI and the criminal justice system. These issues range from inadequate and inconsistent treatment in the community, jails, and prisons to differential sentencing practices.

From the Jailhouse to Capitol Hill: Impacting Mental Health Court Legislation and Defining What Constitutes a Mental Health Court

2003 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Risdon N. Slate
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Therapeutic Jurisprudence ◽  
Mental Health Court ◽  
Mental Health Courts ◽  
Federal Funds ◽  
Capitol Hill

This article examines congressional testimony preceding the passage of legislation authorizing federal funds for mental health courts and makes the case for the importance of anecdotal evidence in the process. The magnitude of persons with mental illness in the criminal justice system is considered, as well as factors that have led to the criminalization of this population. The concept of therapeutic jurisprudence is discussed, and commonalities in the emergence of mental health courts and methods of supervision are examined. Areas of concern are addressed, and mental health courts are advocated as a commonsense approach to diverting persons with mental illness from the criminal justice system and ensuring linkages to treatment.

Criminal Justice Interventions for Offenders With Mental Illness: Evaluation of Mental Health Courts in Bronx and Brooklyn, New York

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelli B. Rossman ◽  
Janeen Buck Willison ◽  
Kamala Mallik-Kane ◽  
KiDeuk Kim ◽  
Sara Debus-Sherrill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Mental Health Courts ◽  
Offenders With Mental Illness

R v Westwood (Thomas): diminished responsibility and disposals under the Mental Health Act 1983

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Mennim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
Court Of Appeal ◽  
Diminished Responsibility

This is a commentary on R v Westwood (Thomas), where the Court of Appeal of England and Wales held that the judge had erred in assessing Westwood’s ‘retained responsibility’ as medium to high under the Sentencing Council Guideline for manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. Although the sentencing judge concluded that the offending was caused by Westwood’s anger, the Court of Appeal found the psychiatric evidence clearly indicated that the most significant factor was Westwood’s mental illness and that his anger at the time of the offence was a manifestation of his mental illness. Westwood’s responsibility was low, and it was appropriate to impose both a hospital and restriction order.  

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